What I Enjoyed, February 2017

Thoughts on the books, TV series, games, and music I enjoyed in February 2017—Forget by Xiu Xiu, Girls, and more.

February, as usual, flew by. I spent most of my time working on my projects, but I was able to enjoy some great things.

Books

I didn’t do too much reading in February. Most of my reading time was spent on the first draft of Aperture. Last month I started The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin, but I decided to put it on hold after 50 pages. I was having a hard time getting into the world and grasping all of the concepts introduced. I’d like to revisit it in the future, though.

Movies

I watched half of Mad Max: Fury Road – Black & Chrome, but I didn’t finish it for some reason. I’m into the black and white visuals, so I’m going to try to finish it soon. Other than that, I didn’t watch any other movies in February.

TV

Girls

I started watching Girls with my partner in February, and I’m hooked. I like how each character has their own personality, even though all of them feel a bit extreme. It feels like a modern version of Friends, minus the sitcom aspects.

Games

Fire Emblem Heroes

Fire Emblem Heroes is a strategy game on iOS that I’ve been playing and somewhat enjoying. It’s part of a long-running series of games, which I have played a few of. It doesn’t have the depth of its predecessors, but it scratches an itch. It’s free to play and not too in your face about microtransactions, which I appreciate.

Music

Forget by Xiu Xiu

The latest Xiu Xiu album Forget came out at the end of February, and I think it’s a very good album. It feels distinct from the other Xiu Xiu albums I’ve listened to but still familiar.

My favorite songs on the album thus far are “Get Up,” “Hay Choco Bananas,” and “At Last, At Last.”

Fabulous Muscles by Xiu Xiu

In preparation for Forget, I bought Fabulous Muscles at the very beginning of the month. It’s a solid album, but I think I’m enjoying Forget more. A song from the album named “Bunny Gamer (B)” is regularly stuck in my head, although “Clowne Towne” is my favorite.

Podcasts

An in-depth analysis by two of my favorite podcasters, Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin, about a great movie, Glengarry Glen Ross. If you’ve seen the movie before, it’s worth the listen. It made me appreciate the film in a new way.